The Last Deathsong
by Create-tion
Summary: When a mysterious rider shows up sickly and dying on the cliffs of Berk, what will happen? Will Hiccup be able to pacify Astrid into understanding that the girl poses no threat to the village and to their relationship? Or will she? Can this new rider prove that she's worthy of becoming a Rider of Berk and find a place among their people or will she wind up crossing a line?


The wind rippled around Siv as she gripped the reigns tighter. Her dragon was testy and growling deep in the back of his throat. She reached forward tentatively to graze her fingers across the spare scales between his horns. He couldn't make a sound right now, not where they were, it would give them away. The instant her Deathsong let lose his voice, they'd be given away. Siv had recently stumbled across a village of dragon riders not unlike her own village which no longer stood. This one however, was thriving and exuberant with experienced riders who seemed at peace with their riders. She flattened her palm against her dragon's head and whispered gently in his ear to calm him down. They hadn't been around other people or dragons since her village had been destroyed by Drago, and that had been nearly six years ago. Siv hadn't trusted anyone after that. She hadn't cared. She'd lost everything in that raid and it was what it was. She'd had to take her Deathsong and run praying to Thor that Drago didn't find them. For Nightscreamer and Siv it had been survival. It had been run or be killed. Siv could still remember the way her friend Tolk had given his life for her to run to Nightscreamer. Now, here, she saw a semblance of peace.

She almost hadn't believed it, when a few riders had traveled towards the cave where she was, talking about the Dragon Master and Viking leader of a village forcing Drago away. She'd thought they had been insane. She'd seen how grappling Drago could be and what he could do. But here they were…here was this surviving village with dragons healthy and happy. Nightscreamer adjusted his wings and shook his head leaning back into her touch. He grumbled, nails slipping on the rock from where they were perched hiding. She knew they'd have to go down. She was exhausted. They'd flown so far to get here, following those riders. Nightscreamer had been able to eat fish along the way, but Siv was starving. For some reason, after an injury she'd acquired running from Drago and his warriors, Siv hadn't been able to keep much food down. They hadn't had the ability to take in liquid soups or foods, at least for the last year, they'd tried to stay away from any other humans for fear they'd kill Nightscreamer. Siv had lost significant weight over the last year in hiding, enough so that her cheekbones and ribs were beginning to poke through. There were long shadow bruises under her eyes from lack of sleep where her fever would spike here and there every month. She'd found that there had been a special plant with medicinal purposes growing in some shallow water caves they'd been hiding in. It had kept most of the infection away but the wound had healed in a bad way and the infection was inside her now, or at least that's what Siv feared. Nightscreamer whined as she closed her eyes tiredly putting her head against the back of his neck. Her eyes were just so tired. Her body ached. Her side throbbed where the initial wound had healed over and her body was sticky with sweat again. NIghtscreamer knew she was about to pass out. Siv coughed her hand lightly slipping from his head. Nightscreamer whined louder and when he got no response her dragon pulled back his wings and began to crawl down the cliff. He was afraid if he flew that she'd slip from his back.

Hiccup was standing beside the twins near a distant hill towards the bay of the village. He yawned rubbing sleep form his eyes as the two of them started arguing about whether or not the other ate breakfast faster than the other. Astrid was standing neatly beside him watching as her dragon and Toothless played gently nipping at one another at the water's edge. The dragons both stopped in their play and turned towards the cliffs watching intently. Toothless hunched down growling turning his head to the side. Stormfly flapped it's wings rapidly causing Toothless to back down. The growling stopped. Hiccup eyed Astid briefly wondering what their dragons were growling at. Even the two twins stopped arguing and glanced in the direction of the dragons.

"What's that?" Astrid asked narrowing her eyes at the cliffs about midway up.

"I'm not…" Hiccup started but as a wave of dust started to dissipate around the small cloud that was descending down the mountain, they could just make out the orange hide of a dragon slipping down the side.

"Why isn't it flying?" He asked motioning for Toothless to come closer.

"Maybe it's injured." Astrid offered moving towards Stormfly.

"Let's go check it out." Hiccup nodded. Within seconds, the leader and his soon to be bride, were racing towards the cliff edge. As they rose higher to greet the oncoming dragon Hiccup felt his eyes grow wider. The dragon they were seeing was one from their books that no one had been able to track yet. From the looks of it, the coloring from his mother's tales, Hiccup recognized the dragon as a Deathsong.

"Stay back. This one might be dangerous." He warned Astrid pulling Toothless up to a short stop. They hovered in the air not far from the space where the dragon had been trying to finish climb down the cliff. However, it stopped upon hearing the dragon riders approach.

"It doesn't look it." Astird said just before she sucked in a hard breath. "Hiccup look!" she pointed suddenly.

"A rider?" he dashed forward seeing the unconscious dragon rider tangled in the reigns on the leather saddle slumped against her dragon's back.

"She's out cold." The dragon whimpered but didn't make a calling noise. Hiccup was glad. This dragon's call could have been dangerous to them all. Instead, it whined whimpering as he approached the rider.

"Is she hurt?" he asked the dragon seeing the sadness in his eyes as he maneuvered Toothless up alongside the dragon to try and rescue the saddled rider from the dragons back. The Deathsong whimpered louder in its throat in response. Hiccup knew that this rider was sick. Once within eye's level he could see that she was covered in a small sheen of sweat and that small goosebumps covered her arms that weren't covered by gauntlets and her short sleeve leather vest.

"We have to get her back for help." Astrid watched Hiccup as he pulled the rider off the Deathsong to Toothless and across his saddle to hold her steady so that her Deathsong could fly and follow them back to the village.


End file.
